Mitsui Aika
Mitsui Aika (光井愛佳) was a member of Morning Musume, joining as a member of the eighth generation from the audition in Japan during December 2006. In May 2012,at the Morning Musume Concert Tour 2012 Haru Ultra Smart~Niigaki Risa Mitsui Aika Graduation Special,''Mitsui officially graduated from Morning Musume,alongside Niigaki Risa. She is currently a soloist under the Hello! Project. Biography 2006 On December 10, 2006, she alone out of five (originally six, but Ayami Masuda dropped out) audition finalists was chosen to join Morning Musume. An article published on December 11, 2006 revealed that Mitsui wouldn't be present in the 57th edition of Kōhaku Uta Gassen but would instead be featured in the group's 32nd single, Egao Yes Nude, which was released on February 14, 2007, following her first public appearance on the last round of the Hello! Project Winter 2007 Tours, ~Shūgetsu 10th Anniversary~ (～集結! 10th Anniversary～, ~Shūgetsu 10th Anniversary~?), which took place between January 27, 2007 and January 28, 2007 at Saitama Super Arena. 2007 She also took part in Morning Musume Concert Tour 2007 Haru ~SEXY 8 Beat~. One week after the results of Happy 8 Ki Audition were announced, Mitsui was featured in a small segment of Hello! Morning which included footage from a press conference given on the eleventh. During the conference, Mitsui revealed her goal of captivating the public by means of her cheerful personality and smile, emulating fellow member Kusumi Koharu, whom she admires and strives to equal or surpass. Following her concert debut, Mitsui was also featured in a small segment of the Oha Suta morning programme entitled I want to express my gratitude ("ありがとうを伝えたい", Arigatō o tsutaetai?), which purports to show the viewers a fictionalized account of the events following her first concert appearances, dealing with Mitsui's sadness over the fact she had to part with her former classmates due to her becoming an idol. 2008 Her first appearance at a non-Hello! Project related event took place on February 8, 2007, on Utaban, as part of Morning Musume. In October 2007, Mitsui was placed in the unit Athena & Robikerottsu along with fellow Morning Musume member Niigaki Risa, as well as Nakajima Saki and Okai Chisato of °C-ute. On the November 25, 2007 episode of Haromoni@, Mitsui got the seiyū role of Gurossan in the anime Kirarin Revolution starring Kirari Tsukishima, voiced by Kusumi Koharu. On April 6, 2008, Hello!Project announced that that Mitsui would not be able to perform in the 2008 spring tour due to her being in very poor health. Later in the week, it was discovered that she had suffered from acute appendicitis, and would be out of action for two more weeks. She recovered and continued with her scheduled activities. On August 8th, Morning Musume collaborated with female theatre group Takarazuka to perform Cinderella the Musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Mitsui took on the role of a fairy, a town girl and a princess. 2009 In 2009, it was announced that Morning Musume will be attending the annual anime convention, the Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California as Guests of Honor in July. All members of the current lineup including Mitsui Aika attended the event. Morning Musume held autograph sessions and a concert. The number of fans that attended the concert reached over 7,000 people. Mitsui has a blog, only available to Official MM Fanclub members titled "Pastel Colour Days". 2010 In December 2010, Mitsui was announced her first Photobook titled 'Mittsi.' Mitsui mentioned had mentioned in several interviews before that she had wanted a photobook, and was very happy at the announcement. 2011 On May 9th, Mitsui was diagnosed with left ankle bone fracture. After the Morning Musume concert this past weekend Aika complained of pain in her left foot, after which she went to the hospital where she was diagnosed with the injury on 5/9. Mitsui will be out of events for at least 8 weeks where she will be examined again afterwards. 2012 In January, Mitsui wrote in her blog that she is now supposedly cured and ready to dance and perform on stage again. On January 12, on her birthday, Mitsui opened up an Ameblo blog to the public. She was then the only Morning Musume member with two blogs. On April 1, she announced she became a regular on the radio show Young Town along with Michishige Sayumi. Many fans believed this to be an April Fools joke. At the end of April or start of May, Mitsui had a doctors consultation where although her ankle had recovered from the fracture, she will not be able to continue as a member of Morning Musume due to intense movement of her ankle in dancing or concerts. On May 4, Mitsui Aika announced her graduation from Morning Musume, but not from Hello! Project. She graduated alongside Niigaki Risa at the end of Morning Musume's 2012 Spring Concert Tour (Morning Musume Concert Tour 2012 Haru Ultra Smart ~Niigaki Risa Graduation Special~) on May 18, at the Nippon Budokan. '''Official UFA's Statement:' {C "Morning Musume 8th generation member Mitsui Aika will be graduating from the group at their “Morning Musume Concert Tour 2012 Spring ~Ultra Smart~ Niigaki Risa Graduation Special” concert on May 18th. After experiencing pain in her foot on May 9th of last year, she underwent a medical examination at the hospital and received a diagnosis of “a stress fracture in the left anklebone.” Due to her own strong feelings of wanting to continue as a member of Morning Musume, she concentrated on taking a rest from her activities and getting medical treatment until she was able to make a full recovery. However, after a medical examination on April 23rd of this year, the diagnosis was, “She’s reached a near complete recovery, but if she were to repeat an intense performance like she’s done in the past, there’s a likelihood of her ending up in the same condition.” With that diagnosis, as a result of a thorough discussion between the company and Mitsui herself, she has made the difficult decision to graduate early. Mitsui stated, ”I absolutely want to continue to be a part of Morning Musume, but if there’s a possibility of my injury reoccurring, we have many intense dances that I feel would make my activity as a member of Morning Musume difficult, and if in the near future it became that my left foot couldn’t completely heal, it would cause difficulty in my daily life from here on as well.” Having to resign in the middle of her time with Morning Musume has left Mitsui with a lack of closure, but while she is full of immensely regretful feelings, she will continue to seek medical treatment from this point forward and we are now consulting her to decide whether or not there is some work she can do within Hello! Project. We apologize to her fans for this sudden announcement, and we truly hope for your understanding." Tsunku's Statement: "Thank you for always showing such support. {C Today, we have a notice concerning Morning Musume 8th generation member Mitsui Aika. After taking a leave from Morning Musume for several months due to her foot condition, and having recently gotten much better, Mitsui had restarted her activity on the tour and in other areas despite not being fully healed, but although it’s a hurried and very unfortunate situation, it has been decided that she will be graduating from Morning Musume as of their “Morning Musume Concert Tour 2012 Spring ~Ultra Smart~ Niigaki Risa Graduation Special” live performance to be held at Nippon Budokan on May 18th. The reason for this is because, while she was authorized as being “recovered enough that she will have no problems at all in her everyday life” during her recent examination, it was also written that “there is undeniable concern that the injury will reoccur if she continues to move as heavily as she did in the past,” and Mitsui herself seems to have worried very much about her life beyond this point, but she requested, ”Of course, to stay in the group in this incomplete way any longer would create worry and trouble for both all of our fans and the other members, so please allow me to graduate,” and deciding that the thought she’s put into her health issues and manner of living should be respected, I chose to accept her proposal. Moreover, we considered what would be the right timing in her schedule and other plans, but thinking that, rather than a delay, a quick announcement and graduation would be less of a burden in many senses of the word as well as make for simpler departures in the future, we’ve decided the graduation will take place alongside Niigaki Risa’s. Please understand. In addition, following her graduation, I believe we will continue to evaluate what she can do in Hello! Project with the guidance of her physician and Mitsui herself, so we ask that you please look after Mitsui Aika with an even greater degree of support." Mitsui Aika’s Statement: "Thank you for always supporting me. {C But at this time I, Mitsui Aika, have decided to graduate from Morning Musume. Last May, I felt a lot of discomfort in my foot. There have been various attempts to help me improve my problem, but I have been diagnosed with an ‘abnormal’ bone disorder. Because of this, I’m closing full activities as a Morning Musume member so that I may rest. Recently, I’ve been feeling more grateful for being able to participate in Morning Musume and have been looking forward to participating in a range of activties. However, I went to get diagnosed on April 23rd. Although they said 'Your bone doesn’t show any signs of abnormality. So it won’t be problem during everyday life activities', they also said 'However, if you continue with strenuous exercise, this could potentially happen again.' I thought maybe I’d be at 100% one day as a Momusu member, but the diagnosis said there is a risk of recurrence. I spoke with my mother about the consultation and my future. You need to put your health first, and not worry about the members, staff or fans. So, I wish to graduate. As it’s because of my body, I should graduate soon. Tsunku and the staff agreed that the best time to graduate would be during the spring tour since the last performance on May 18th is at Budokan. I know it is sudden. I want to apologize to the members and the fans and hope they understand. I’m sorry to the fans who hoped that I would be able to dance in full. So until the end of the Budokan performance, I will do my best. So until the last show, thank you for your support. After Morning Musume, I will consult with the staff and Tsunku about what kind of activities I can do within Hello! Project. Profile *'Name:' Mitsui Aika (光井愛佳) *'Nicknames:' Mittsi, Micchi, Charles, Wan-chan, Mittens *'Birth Date:' 1993-01-12 *'Birthplace:' Shiga Prefecture, Japan *'Blood Type:' O *'Height:' 156.4 cm *'Hello! Project Status:' **2006-12-10: Member **2006-12-10: Morning Musume Member **2012-05-18 Graduated from Morning Musume *'Up-Front Agency Status:' **2006-12-10: Member *'Years in Morning Musume:' 5 Years *'Favorite Food:' Plums, strawberries, roast beef, kombu and dried squid *'Disliked Food:' Chocolate *'Favorite Color:' Black, purple,and gold *'Favorite Phrase:' "The heaven and the earth, unbeaten ☆" *'Special Skill:' Massaging (Next to Michishige Sayumi-san…) and keeping my room tidy!! *'Audition Songs:' Blue Bird by Hamasaki Ayumi, Furusato, Osaka Koi No Uta *'Hello! Project Groups:' **Morning Musume (2006–2012) **Athena & Robikerottsu(2007–2008) **Guardians 4 (2009 - 2010) **Tanpopo # (2009) **Hello!Project Mobekimasu (2011-Present) *'Concert Units:' **Wonderful Hearts (2008–) Singles Participated In Morning Musume * Egao YES Nude * Kanashi Twilight * Onna ni Sachi Are * Mikan * Resonant Blue * Pepper Keibu * Naichau Kamo * Shouganai Yume Oibito * Nanchatte Renai * Kimagure Princess * Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai * Seishun Collection * Appare! Kaiten Zushi * Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game * Maji desu ka Ska! * Only You * Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa o Honki de Negatterun da yo!/Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai! * Pyoco Pyoco Ultra * Rena'i Hunter (Last Single) Works TV Programs *2007 ハロー! モーニング (Hello! Morning) *2007–2008 ハロモニ@ (Haromoni@) *2008 ベリキュー! (Berikyuu!) *2008–2009 よろセン! (Yorosen!) TV Dramas *2010 Hanbun Esper (半分エスパー) Films *2011 Real Kakurenbo Final (リアル隠れんぼファイナル) *2011 Keitai Deka the Movie 3: Morning Musume Kyuushatsu Daisakusen! ~ Pandora no Hako no Himitsu ~ (ケータイ刑事　THE　MOVIE3　モーニング娘。救出大作戦！～パンドラの箱の秘密) Anime *2007 きらりん☆レボリューション (Kirarin☆Revolution) (guest role) Radio *2007–2008 Morning Musume Mitsui Aika no Ai say hello (e-radio) Theater *2008 シンデレラ The ミュージカル (Cinderella the Musical) *2010 FASHIONABLE (ファッショナブル) Photobooks *2011.01.26 Aika (愛佳) DVDs *2011.01.26 Mittsi (みっつぃー) Trivia *'Morning Musume Happy 8ki Audition songs:' **'Round 1:' "BLUE BIRD" (Hamasaki Ayumi) **'Round 2:' "Furusato" (Morning Musume) **'Round 3:' "Osaka Koi no Uta" (Morning Musume) *She became good friends with Yoshizawa Hitomi, who adopted an "older sister" figure. *Niigaki Risa has an older sister relationship to Aika, partly because Risa's younger sister is much like Aika. *Her favorite number is 397 because it was her entry number in the audition. Her mother stated she won because it means bloom like a flower (sa ku na = 397). *She is the first member to have joined the group with braces. Shortly after joining, she got them removed. *Her family calls her "Aika-don" and "Aika-san". *Would like to teach Japanese because she said it's fun. *Her closest friends in the group include Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina and Kusumi Koharu. *The nickname "Wan-chan" (meaning dog in Japanese) was given to her by Takahashi Ai and Kamei Eri when they were describing Aika in the Morning Musume DVD Vol. 23. *She is a big animal lover. *Has a toy poodle named Leo. She also has a Siberian Husky, which is proclaimed to be one of her dream pets. *Lives with her older sister and her older sister's boyfriend in Tokyo. *Her grandmother named her. *She sometimes has an inhaler with her in concerts in case her breathing gets bad. *Has said she would love to work with C-ute's former member Arihara Kanna because many said they look alike and they get along well. *Noticed to be wearing flat shoes for single costumes. One cause of not wearing high heels is rumoured to be the operation she had earlier, possibly affecting her ability to dance with high heeled shoes. *She proclaimed herself to be Kusumi Koharu's rival. The two were incredibly close. *Admitted that she was jealous of JunJun and LinLin when they first joined. *She is the first Morning Musume member to be the youngest in the group for 4 years, with no new members joining. *On May 8th, 2011, she fractured her left ankle and had treatment for eight weeks. She was still performing with the group, but her activity while performing was limited. *She said that if she could be another Hello! Project member, she would be Morning Musume's Kudo Haruka. because she is cute. *During Niigaki Risa's Yorosen, the girls wrote letters to themselves ten years in the future. When Aika's letter was read aloud, the other members were impressed with how mature it sounded. *In Yorosen, she taught Morning Musume about pets. *Has a scar on her tummy from when she got her appendix removed. *Mentors all of 9th generation alone. *It was said that she will miss Morning Musume Concert Tour Aki 2011 Ai Believe ~ Takahashi Ai Graduation ~, but in the last day she came on the concert for Takahashi Ai's graduation ceremony in a wheelchair. *Recently said she thinks she was a dog in her previous life. *Said that if a thief came she thinks Okai Chisato would come to protect her. *Is noted to get hurt the most out of members in Morning Musume. *Is the first Morning Musume member to have 2 blog. Because she recently opened her public to everyone blog, after she already had a blog just for fanclub members. *Recently, on a FC post, was revelead that she's 100% ready to perform and dance agaim. But it might start easy. Honorary Titles External Links * Official Hello! Project Profile *Official Blog: Aika no Pastel Color Days (FC Limited) (Translations) *Wikipedia Profiles: Japanese: 光井愛佳 | English: Aika Mitsui *Bright Smiles: An English Mitsui Aika Fansite